Crystal Skies
by Centerpoint108
Summary: Having need to sort herself out, Cyclonis takes a trip to the Condor.


Terra Cyclonia. Spanning leagues further than any other known terra, the Cyclonians' home was a world of frequent, extended storms, cruel mountain spires, red and purple skies, and its own twisted version of the Wastelands.

And none could ever forget it was the center of the Cyclonian Empire, ruled by the latest and youngest in a long line of those who bore the title Master Cyclonis. The current monarch was as brilliant as her reach was vast, her talent for crystal manipulation second to none. Cyclonis was feared throughout the known Atmos for her hidden might, her ability to recombine crystals into new powerful forms, to activate them through her will alone, and disable those used against her. As one of the few crystal mages alive, all knew she could bring the world to it's knees, given the chance.

_And yet…_

And yet, there was one still alive who knew her differently, knew her as a girl named Lark, a child forced onto the throne before her time. Someone who, inadvertently, had found a friend in one of her worst enemies, the Storm Hawks.

_"Great, stormy as_ _usual," _Piper thought, observing their destination. The _Condor _was heading to Cyclonian territory on a combination recon/patrol mission, intending to guard the border and look for weaknesses to exploit. To the carrier's stern was the blue skies and white clouds of the free Atmos; off the bow, the black clouds and darkness of Terra Cyclonia. Tendrils of the polluted atmosphere snaked back into Atmos, marring the perfect sky.

_"Like a disease."_

Over Stork's doom-ridden muttering in the background, Piper turned at the sound of the bridge door opening. Aerrow, the Storm Hawk's Sky Knight, led the other three Hawks into the room to review the mission.

Aerrow started off.

"Alright, I want make sure everyone knows we are trying to _avoid_ fighting for once, understood?" A round of confirmations.

"We will defend ourselves if needed, but we're here to gather information, right Piper?" the boy asked.

Tangerine eyes blinked once, before the first officer focused back in. "Correct, and to that end, I thought it would be worthwhile to try and hide in the lower cloud layer, since the _Condor_'s hull will stick out like a sore thumb in Cyclonia. Speaking of sticking out, Stork, would it be possible to disguise the _Condor_'s engine wash?"_  
_

The merb looked over from the controls, devious approval in his eyes.

"I suppose, with the right crystals on hand, _oh yeah_," he responded.

Piper smiled brightly.

"Perfect, I've got just what we need. First, take us down into the clouds now and hold position, then come help Junko and I set up the arrays."

After a couple of hours, Piper and the boys had finished installing the rainbow smoker and chroma crystals in line with the engine crystals. With some tweaking, the engines were now emitting flame and smoke the color of Cyclonian clouds.

Once back at the bridge, the _Condor_ roared forward into Terra Cyclonia.

In the heart of the empire, the young empress toiled away in her lab. Crystals of all kinds lay scattered across tables and benches, held in place by manipulator arms or moved about by the Master's skillful hands. In the center of the room was Cyclonis, putting the finishing touches on her combat staff.

After working out how make a cutting of a functioning crystal that kept its charge, she had set about implementing her discovery immediately. With these changes, her staff would now be able to utilize these smaller shards in combination with the active primary crystal to enhance its function. A previous modification to the conducting matrix had enabled her to add a secondary crystal to the base of the staff, increasing its utility.

"For all the good it'll do," Cyclonis sighed. As of late, she had found it harder to take joy in her triumphs, whether out in the skies or here in her lab. Whenever she looked around her home, everything lacked a certain luster, a certain light. She knew why.

Piper.

Months back, she had infiltrated the _Condor_ in order to recruit Piper to her side. When the navigator had refused her, Cyclonis had, in a fit of rage, attempted to send Piper into oblivion using an aptly named Oblivion crystal, which backfired when she had reminded Cyclonis of the crystal's one drawback:

_"Oblivion crystals won't work on friends, even if they were your friends for a moment."_

No matter what she had tried to tell herself, crystals were incapable of lying. It didn't take long for the truth to force itself on her. In her short time with the Storm Hawks, she had found a friend and possible equal in Piper, who despite all reason, was a capable crystal mage. A capable, _self-taught_ crystal mage. It was this detail that had kept her interested after being drawn in by the prospect of someone who shared her enthusiasm for crystals. With these thoughts in mind, Cyclonis grabbed her staff and strode in the direction of the tower balcony. There was a whisper in the back of her mind she wanted to address.

Engrossed in her musings, she hardly noticed the palace servants and Talons who made way for her. At the tower base, she activated her levitation crystal and rose to the ceiling, before emerging onto the balcony.

Balcony was a bit misleading. The top of the tower was actually a circular room, encased by large windows that allowed her to look upon her terra freely. Even if with heavy storms, on a good day she could clearly see all the way to the free Atmos, a band of blue and white that defined her reach. The observatory was also equipped with controls to manipulate the crystal-infused glass to zoom in one's target. She had yet to use it, but then she had yet to need it.

Alone with her thoughts, Cyclonis circled the room, taking in the sight of her age worn terra. Nearby loomed her Cyclonian Destroyers, guarding the capital fiercely.

_"There's no point to them being here, since they're really just guarding the palace. A better use would be border patrol, no one's ever even tried to attack the palace, not since the first Cyclonis. I'll have to-"_

A blaring alarm startled her out of her thoughts, prompting her to contact Air Traffic Control, wondering who had disrupted her pondering.

"This is Master Cyclonis, what is happening, Control?" she barked.

There was a burst of static before the woman on the other end replied, "Of course, Master. There is a border intrusion in sector 24C-38G." Another burst of static.

"It's the Storm Hawks."

The young Cyclonis froze, then rushed to magnify on the correct sector.

And there it was. Through the black, Cyclonis could see the off-white hull of the _Condor_, tinted grey through the cloud cover.

_"Why is it smoking? It looks fine. and isn't the engine wash bl-Oh Piper you clever girl."_

A smile grew on her face, then dimmed when she remembered Piper would be aboard the carrier. Zooming out, she spotted the pair of destroyers giving chase, open hangars releasing Talon squadrons.

Did she want to get involved? Did she have reason to? Trying to resolve her conflict, Cyclonis continued to watch the Storm Hawks try to outrun her soldiers.

_"Three Air Skimmer III's and…a Heliscooter."_ Her decision was made for her. As quick as she could, she raced back to her lab, no heed given to the incredulous stares that followed her.

Throwing the door open, Cyclonis dashed about the room, grabbing various crystals she may or may not need. The last she grabbed was her warp crystal. Focusing on what she had last seen in the tower, she gripped the crystal tightly, willing it to take her to her destination.

The battle was joined. Finn was doing well enough with his crossbow, taking down a fair number of Talons. Junko had his hands full using his ordnance to take out the destroyers while not getting shot down himself. Stork had the _Condor_ bouncing every which way, skillfully avoiding the majority of shots aimed his way. Aerrow was using his twin crystal blades to great effect, taking down the most enemy pilots so far.

Piper on the other hand, was using her heliscooter's superior maneuvering to lure Talons into traps and provide support with her crystal staff. They were doing well, despite the second wave of Cyclonian Switchblades the destroyers had fielded.

After several more minutes, taking out three more Talons in the process, Piper saw that the enemy pilots were in retreat, and that the destroyers had stopped firing, for now. Seeing her squad heading back to the _Condor,_ she moved to join them, not seeing the rogue Switchblade careening towards her.

As soon as the warp light faded, Cyclonis headed towards the sounds of battle, her levitation crystal keeping her aloft. She arrived in time to see the battle wrap up, the Talons retreating and the Storm Hawks heading home. A quick search found Piper's familiar heliscooter, out somewhat ahead of the _Condor_, racing back. But she was more concerned for the out-of-control, empty Switchblade barreling towards her-_her friend_, who was completely unaware.

She could only watch in horror as the Switchblade hit dead-on, a faint cry of "Piper!" from the carrier, slamming nose-first into Piper and mangling her scooter.

With no thought given, Cyclonis flew herself towards the falling Hawk.

_"This isn't good, this isn't good, THIS IS_**_NOT_**_GOOD!"_

Piper was trying, and failing, not to panic as the Wastelands rushed up to greet her. No matter how hard she hit it, her parachute was not deploying. Distantly she heard the sound of metal against metal, quick and sudden.

_"This is it. It's over. I am going to die. I am going to hit the Wastelands or a cliff and I am going to-_WHUF!"

Blinking past the sudden tear-inducing pain, Piper noted she was no longer falling, and that there was an arm wrapped around her belly. Down and to her right, she was confused to see her heliscooter no longer falling either, the logical part of her realizing that that must have been the metallic sound she heard seconds ago. Feeling herself move up as her ride did the same, Piper decided now was a good time to see who her rescuer was.

Her blood ran cold.

"Cy-Cyclonis?!"

Rather than use her levitation crystal on Piper, the heliscooter, _and_ herself, Cyclonis had opted grab Piper herself-_"for completely practical reasons"_-and only split her focus two ways. Ignoring Piper when she called her name, and the uncomfortable twinge in her breast at the girl's terror, Cyclonis willed the heliscooter and herself upwards, towards the waiting flight deck of the _Condor_, knowing things were about to get complicated.

Piper was having difficulty shaking off her shock. Cyclonis had saved her _again_, this time in Cyclonian territory, completely undisguised. A rush of air made her look up, her heliscooter accelerating ahead to drop onto the flight deck with a bang, followed by an exclamation of surprise from the remaining Storm Hawks. Bracing herself to follow it, she was surprised and not altogether displeased when Cyclonis instead brought them up over the deck, before coming down just above to hover. When she wasn't dropped, she looked up into guarded amethyst eyes, peering out from the shadows of the Master's hood. Seeing no answer coming soon, Piper placed her feet on the deck and pulled out of Cyclonis' hold before edging cautiously towards her squadron.

A glance behind showed the boys still behind her, confused but ready to fight. A chill touch on her cheek snapped her gaze forward again. Cyclonis' face was still eerily impassive, but there was warmth peeking out from behind her stare. Pale lips parted to speak when the _Condor_ rocked with impact, knocking the Hawks to the deck while Cyclonis used her staff to stay upright. The face of the Master slammed down again as crystals were moved and replaced, the staff held high before piercing the flight deck. A clear bubble burst forth, growing until it enveloped the _Condor_, covering everything outside in smoky brushstrokes. The chill touch came again, muted through her sleeve, pulling Piper to her feet.

Cyclonis strode past, briefly locking eyes with Aerrow.

"They can't see you, nor can they hit you. Now, if you would be so kind, turn the ship around."

No one could muster the will to stop her as she vanished into the _Condor_.

Her previous visits to the _Condor_ let her feet instinctually guide her to Piper's crystal workshop, leaving her to piece together why she had acted so boldly, without any forethought.

_"I should have let her fall. I should have left them to the destroyers. I should NOT have come in here. There is no reason, no logic, no SENSE behind any of it. So WHY?!_

_"She is my friend."_

Cyclonis slumped down at the workstation, a weary sigh passing her lips.

_"I saved her because she was my friend-"_a sour taste in her mouth-_"IS my friend."_Another tightening in her breast.

_"Is that ALL she is?_

_"..No. She used to be, but now? Now Piper is so much more. I don't trust her as much as Dark Ace…close…but I value her life more._

_"But she hates me. I'm her sworn enemy, a threat to her, her friends, and all she's ever known. No matter what I wanted with her, it wouldn't work. We would be destroyed."_

Cyclonis' hands clenched, knuckles becoming almost translucent. This was going to hurt.

_"I cannot tell her. She will latch onto it, and only lead us to our destruction."_

In the near-silence of the shop, the young ruler could hear the distinct sound of water hitting metal, could feel a forgotten sensation down her cheeks. To her dismay, she found she was indeed crying.

"Damn it all, I've got it bad," Cyclonis laughed despairingly.

Piper had guessed that Cyclonis would head right for her workshop, the open door confirming her assumption. Staff at the ready, she stepped into the room. Seated at the workbench, back to the door, was her one-time friend, hooded head bowed.

"Cyclonis? I need you to come with me."

There was a dull laugh as she lifted her head, but didn't turn around.

"Did you add a brig while I was gone?"

Piper frowned at the unusual behavior, having expected Master Cyclonis, not whoever she was looking at now.

"Aerrow wants to speak with you. Since, you know, you kind of invited yourself onboard."

"Well, then let's not keep him waiting. Lead the way."

Everyone was seated around a makeshift table on the bridge, the Storm Hawks on end and herself on the other. Finn and Junko were too nervous to look directly at her for more than a few seconds. Stork on the other hand was watching her keenly, looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Radarr was perched on his partner's shoulder, observing her suspiciously. Piper had opted to stand, arms folded, her face looked to be somewhere between confusion and concern. And directly across from her, Aerrow waited, his fingers steepled in front of his face, as he gathered his thoughts. Deciding he wasn't going to speak anytime soon, Cyclonis closed her eyes and began to measure her breathing.

She had been waiting perhaps three minutes before she heard Aerrow exhale, resignation in his breath.

"Alright. First, why are you still here, and second, what do you want?"

Cyclonis opened her eyes, taking a moment before she spoke. Across from her, the Storm Hawks stiffened at the flat look she had forced into her eyes.

"I want _nothing_, Aerrow of the Storm Hawks, and I am still here because I have no desire to return," she stated. Now they all flinched as if struck at the lack of life in her voice, Piper most of all.

_"Nor do I imagine I will want to anytime soon."_

"Actually, the first is a lie. I _would like_ to stay here, disappear for a while. I have some things I need to sort out. But I will say now, I will _not_ be doing so in an Atmosian prison. That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Cyclonis finished, smirking.

Aerrow waited before replying, "What reason do we have to believe that you won't betray us at some point?"

She laughed once. "You don't. That's what makes it fun."

Silence descended again, and she was sure Aerrow would send her away, until-

"I believe her."

All six pair of incredulous eyes turned to the speaker. Piper flushed, nervous for some reason beyond the young ruler.

"I-I believe her. I mean think about it. She could have left me to fall to my death, she didn't have to cloak the _Condor_, and…this is all just so out of character, I think she's telling the truth." Piper

met her eyes. "I think she should stay."

_"She trusts me? _STILL_?! Why would she ever continue to trust ME?"_

Snapping out of her shock, Cyclonis addressed Aerrow once more.

"You are, of course, free to set your own conditions and we can negotiate from there. It is your ship, after all."

The boy cleared his throat, trying to regain his bearings.

"Okay then. First, if you're going to stay here in secret, I want to minimize your appearances off-ship. Second, despite what you say, I don't want you trying to return to Cyclonia. Third, I want to have you under some kind of supervision as often as possible. You may be surrendering…or whatever it is you're doing, but I have a responsibility for the safety of my squadron."

A pleased ripple ran through the tendrils of her hood. They were making progress.

"Yes to the first, yes to the second, but only insomuch that I am allowed to warp to my lab and back for notes and crystals on occasion. If I wasn't in charge of an empire, crystals would be my life. I need _something_ to do if I'm going to stay here. As for the third, I would be disappointed if you didn't," she laughed, amused.

And so they went, back and forth, until a resolution was reached. Cyclonis would be allowed access to Piper's crystal lab as long as her work did not threaten the _Condor._ She would be allowed to warp back and forth to her lab for materials on occasion, provided she had and escort and the escort was the one in control of the warp crystal. Any trips to a terra or port would require that she disguise herself with a cloaking crystal, also escorted. In return, Cyclonis promised not to enter the engine room, bridge, or other vital areas of the ship without express permission. She would confine herself to the workshop should any visitors come aboard. Lastly, she would not have access to her crystal staff without Piper's supervision.

Piper had elected to settle in Cyclonis, escorting her to her room. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

"You're staring."

A scoff.

"I was not."

Silence.

"So why the _Condor_? I'm sure you have other places you could hide."

"You Storm Hawks interest me. Besides, it's a mobile location. And who would think to look for me on the ship of my greatest opponents?"

"Not many, I would guess."

Once they reached Piper's room, the specialist paused, looking over to her companion.

"Hey, Cyclonis?"

"Hmm?"

"You're sure you're fine with rooming with me? It won't be a problem?"

Cyclonis went rigid, surprise taking over before she relaxed again, exhaling slowly.

"Yes, it will be fine. Better you than one of the others. We aren't sharing a bed, correct?"

It was now Piper's turn to be surprised.

"Oh no! No, no no no! We definitely aren't. The beds are too small."

"Then we should have no problems."

With that out of the way, the two girls turned in with the rest of the ship.

A month.

Somehow, they had managed to keep this deception up for a month so far. There was no hiding the change in the Cyclonian troops' behavior. They were less aggressive, and focused more on protecting what they had, rather than expand into new operations. But the Storm Hawks had managed to hide Cyclonis the entire time. By this point they seemed almost comfortable around her. Still on guard, but no longer actively suspicious. They had started to learn things about each other subconsciously, small habits and reactions. Piper in particular had been especially interested in spending time with her, leading to some interesting moments.

_Piper had gone looking for Cyclonis, wanting to discuss some topics and theories covered in the notes the ruler left around the workshop. Going through each area Cyclonis was allowed, she heard draining water as she passed the restrooms. Hoping to find her roommate, Piper stepped in, closing the door behind her._

_When she turned around, she froze at the sight confronting her. Cyclonis was standing with her back to the door, toweling off her hair. She was completely naked. But that wasn't what had Piper's attention._

_To her immense concern, Cyclonis turned out to be rather frail underneath her robes. She wasn't skeletal, but her ribs were a little too defined, hips stuck out sharper than they should. Her joints just a tad too outlined._

_"Cyclonis?"_

_She shrieked, whirling around as she covered herself with her towel. Piper would have laughed if she wasn't so worried._

_"Get out!"_

_Piper frowned at the sharp command, unwilling to let this go without trying. She straightened up, crossing her arms._

_"Cyclonis."_

_She looked away, arms drawing the towel tighter._

_"When was the last time you had a proper meal? I don't recall seeing you eat a full plate since you arrived."_

_"I don't want to talk about it."_

_"But-"_

_"I said, I don't. Want. To talk about it."_

_The sound of hissing breaths between clenched teeth made Piper notice how close Cyclonis suddenly was to breaking, and she backed off instead._

_"Okay, we don't have to discuss it until you're ready. But, could you try to eat a little more? For me?"_

_As she nodded her agreement, Piper stepped forward, taking the taller girl in her arms._

_"She has no idea how close I came to telling her everything that day,"_ mused Cyclonis. Despite herself, she had started eating more since.

Hiding aboard the _Condor_ was proving harder than she initially planned. Piper wanted to work with her, talk with her, do things with her. A part of her wanted to do the same, the part that she denied happiness. The other part of her, the calculating ruler, reminded her that her resolve weakened the longer they were together, that she couldn't be around her for long. Cyclonis noted with wry amusement that that part of her was becoming smaller, no matter what she did.

Currently, she was reclining on her bed, idling time away. The Storm Hawks were on another patrol mission, necessitating that she stay in the shared room until they returned. Which would be any minute now, given the sound of air skimmers coming through the wall.

True to form, Piper emerged through the door about a minute later. However, this time she locked it behind her, and stayed in the entry way.

"Hey."

"Afternoon, Piper."

"Do you…think we could talk for a bit?"

That got her attention. Sitting up and moving the the edge of the bed, Cyclonis observed her reaffirmed friend. She was slightly hunched over, rubbing at her left arm, and a nervous smile upon her face.

Warily, Cyclonis replied, "We talk all the time, I don't see why this should be an exception. But come away from the door."

She waited until Piper did so, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"Now, what has you so nervous that you look more frightened than Stork on-stage?"

Piper glanced around before letting out a long breadth, meeting her eyes once again.

_"If she keeps looking at me like that, my resolve will go out the window."_

"Cyclonis, you would say we're friends, right?" Piper started off. "I mean, I hope we are, otherwise this is going to be really weird."

_"As if it wasn't already?"_

"Yes, I would say we are friends, and that we have been ever since…well, you know when," She said, not sure where this was going.

"And friends care about each other?"

Arching a brow, she started to let a little annoyance show.

"I would assume so, yes. Otherwise I've been doing this whole thing wrong."

Piper flushed, knowing how she sounded.

"Right, right, silly thing to ask," she said, trailing off.

"Is there a point to this line of questioning, Piper?" Cyclonis huffed.

"Yes, there is, but…ah, how do I say this?" She looked away again. " Basically, I care about you,

but it's more than that. I like you as more than a friend, er, more accurately, I'm uh, I'm romantically interested in you," she rushed out, meeting her eyes.

"And I was wondering what you thought of that, that is, if you don't mind."

Cyclonis, for her part, was having trouble thinking. She had been denying herself this entire time, and now Piper had come out and said she felt the same. That small part of her that said no oddly enough wasn't speaking at all now.

Standing up slowly, Cyclonis moved in front of Piper, her hand coming up to the shorter girl's head.

"Well then, I hope you don't mind if I do this," she whispered before leaning in and kissing her firmly. Cyclonis' other hand came up in a loose embrace around Piper.

When they separated, Piper had the dorkiest smile on her face, laughing with her giddy feeling. She moved closer, laying her head on Cyclonis' shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly about her waist.

"Thank you, Cyclonis," Piper breathed.

"Hmm, please, call me Lark."


End file.
